Which midfielder should Arsenal sign? I want this versatile ex-LIverpool star…

What player would you Gooners like to see in an Arsenal shirt? (opinion)

There are many fans who have opinions on what players would be great additions for their own teams, and as all fans are entitled to their own opinions I want to have my say on one of the players I believe would be a great addition to our squad..

As fans of football and the Premier League, he wouldn’t be unknown as he spent four seasons at Liverpool and is known to be a versatile and quality player.

So, in my opinion one player we should be looking at to add to our squad is Borussia Dortmund’s Emre Can.

He can be deployed in midfield and also across any part of the defence when called upon, but he also can score a few goals when given the chance, and some of those he has scored have been absolute beauties!

Can has experience playing in England, Italy and now Germany where he is currently based, but he is a highly experienced player who can only get better and at 28 years old he would be an absolutely great addition to any squad, especially now that five substitutions are going to be allowed. Even having him as an option on the bench would not be the worst thing.

Can’s attitude to the beautiful game and his passion for football is a rarity, as not all footballers have that sort of attitude and although he can make some silly tackles at times, well who doesn’t nowadays, there is no denying his talent and ability.

His gameplay at times can be equivalent to that of Mesut Ozil, in terms of seeing things that not all players can, his eye for a pass is Ozil level and his game play too. The height he was blessed with also adds something which makes him an aerial threat both defensively and attacking wise too.

Although he had a tough time last season with regards to injuries and not always being selected for Dortmund, while at Liverpool and during his time at Juventus, he was an ever present in the squad and as uncertainty looms for him at Dortmund, it would be a steal if Arsenal made a move for him, and maybe the player himself would not be opposed to the move if he could be guaranteed game time, given that, I am sure he would want to make the Germany squad for the upcoming World Cup.

His stats show he has 10 goals in 115 appearance for Liverpool, four goals in 37 appearances for Juventus and eight goals in 64 appearances so far for Dortmund and the fact that he can pop up with a goal at any given time is also a bonus.

But if he can help the team remain solid defensively as well as offer something refreshing in attack then having him as an addition would not be the worst thing!

So if Arteta and Edu are listening it may be worth looking at Can, because, lets face it, why would you want to let a player of that calibre pass you by, especially if it can be a genuine option…

Just a thought and we can but dream..

Shenel Osman

@sh3n3l_

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Tags Emre Can midfielder

34 Comments

  1. I think he is more of a DM than an offensive-minded midfielder. We’ve got similar CDMs in Partey, Elneny, Lokonga, Azeez and Akinola

    I’d prefer Nathan Ake, because he:

    – Is homegrown

    – Has plenty of experience in EPL

    – Worked with Arteta

    – Is left-footed and versatile

    – Is faster and taller than Lisandro Martinez

    1. Nathan is good if available.
      I have negative impression about the defensive ability of Elneny, and Sambi.
      Elneny’s key defensive ability is interception and off ball movement(even making himself available to his mates)/tactical awareness but he is not a good tackler (though has improved). Sambi seems to be a tough tackler, reckless at times but with no maturity on everything that Elneny does.
      From the comments I read about Aziz, he seems a number 8/CM than a DM and like Sambi, he is still has a learning slope to climb.
      I have not seen Akinola but he played one game for Dundee in Scotland before picking an injury, going through surgery..etc. All things considered, I feel throwing him to be Partey’s back up is a big jump for his curve.

      1. If Ajax are still playing hardball over Martinez, Arsenal had better approach Ake before Chelsea sign him

        Elneny’s first touch is great, but he isn’t excellent interceptor and second ball winner. Whereas Lokonga is sloppy sometimes

  2. I completely agree. Emry Can would be Incroyable. Only 16mill and only 150k p/w. Much better than Fofana and Doucoure. Artedu get it done today

    1. OT slightl, but re this in the article:

      “Can’s attitude to the beautiful game and his passion for football is a rarity…”

      My understanding is that “the beautiful game” doesn’t refer to football – or at least, not all.any football – but to ginga (pronounced “jinga”) which is the street football in the Brazilian favelas (slums)?

      Emphasis on high technical skills, dribbling etc.

        1. I dont ever recall football/soccer being called the beautiful game in common usagae until about 15 yeras ago and believe it is an advertising or promotional/branding exercise. Having followed a multitude of sports for 60 years what I do recall is that fans of all sports- be that bat and ball games, motor sports, olympic sports any one of 200 or more sporting pursuits at some time or other referred to “their” sport as being the “best” sport in the world 🙂

          1. ff you are VERY mistaken indeed then!

            It has been widely known as the beautiful game for many, many decades and as a 71 year old I know that from hearing it often said myself, when still a FAR younger man, or even as a youth!.

        2. As long as you can remember isn’t very long compared to football’s lifespan.

          The term first surfaced in 1958 when the Brazil side had been trying to copy European styles of play. They had a sudden realisation before the ’58 wc in Sweden that they should revert to the ginga style (“the beautiful game” rather than the European style) and… the rest is history.

          Pele, Garrincha, all that lot were from the favellas and that’s how they naturally played.

          Some PR type grabbed it and tried to apply it t all of football, but it doesn;t really fly – looking at how football was in the 1970s, 80s, 90s for example, ugly tackles, people breaking ankles on players like Maradona, Italian “cattanecio” defensive styles – it was more of an “ugly game”.

          1. * Catenaccio

            (the chain) – but as in “lock the (back) gate with the chain”

      1. Stuart Hall, an English football commentator, used it as far back as 1958. Hall admired Peter Doherty and was the first to use that expression when he went to see Manchester City play at Maine Road and used the term “The Beautiful Game” to describe Doherty’s style of play.but it was Pelé’s autobiography in 1977″Pelé and the beautiful game” that cemented it.

        1. Just spotted this after I posted the above. Yes the 1958 wc was when the term surfaced outside of Brazil – it applied to ginga style favella football not football as a whole – and that’s what Brazil played in 1958, ginga, the beautiful game.

  3. Good player, who has played In the EPL before with Liverpool, although he did pick up quite a few injuries in his time there. We should be looking at his teammate Florian Neuhaus, Good passer and does his defensive duty too.

  4. Our biggest problem tail end of last season was the drop-off in quality from some of our first choice options to our cover options when first choice isn’t available. This was particularly noticeable in the case of Partey, where the stats show that we went from winning about 70-80% of games with him, to losing 70-80% of games without him.

    Pretty much every play we make goes through Partey, so this isn’t surprising, given the paucity of our cover options. Whoever we buy, they have to be good enough at the defensive role that they’ll do a better job than Elnenny or Lokonga. We aren’t going to get that if we go out and buy someone who’s content to be a reserve defensive midfielder. The quality of player that we need is someone who wants to start every game.

    As such, I’d be looking for an 8 who can slot in next to Odergaard, but who we can also drop back into the no. 6 role if Partey’s injured. I’d be okay with keeping Xhaka as a bench option until Patino/Azeez have matured enough to succeed him.

    My choice would have been Bruno Guimares, but we screwed the pooch over that one. Next for me (realistically speaking) would be Fabian Ruiz. Short contract, can play that kind of defensive-minded 8 role, can break lines, carry the ball forward and could drop in as a 6 (or a double pivot alongside Xhaka) if needs be.

    1. very sensible post. Could not agree more on the importance of finding a better backup for Partey. Not having one cost us 4th. I also think we need to rest Partey a lot and give him only 70 minutes often, given his injury tendencies. So a top “backup” is crucial.

  5. Not a bad thought. I’m not clear on what DM options are available in the current market though (apart from versatile options like Martinez).

    I’m assuming no-one is thinking of paying top dollar to prise someone away from their club when they’re not for sale, since we’d have heard about it by now.

    If the post above is right though (that his wages are £150k a week) that might be an issue. It’s not cheap looking at the list of Arsenal salaries.

  6. Can is a good player, no doubt, but quite injury prone. My options would be Zinzencko, someone who can play LB, LWB and left midfield and Tielemans, a quality player, good both defensively and offensively.

  7. Admin how do a get to write an article? Haha bro going to German at that age means he cashed in his a retirement plan can’t get players like that back to premier league he was never a great player at Liverpool or juve so let him retire in peace dortmund is his best right now.

  8. Yes a very good palyer but I think that now we are behaving like a top club again, I would go for Rice or Bellingham. Qulaity for the future and their prices will still rise. I do like Martinez and he would save us money. We need to clear out Bellerin and Soares plus Maitland Niles. We should also stick out for a top price for Leno. Do not sell Danny Ballard he is the nearest to a home grown Adams we have!

    1. You may get lucky over Ballard due to his move to Burnley being off as ” terms could not be agreed.”

  9. Super talented player, but not one I’d chase after now. One of those who could have been massive but for one reason or another, be it injuries or something else, hasn’t made the most of his ability. Still a very good player, though.

  10. I would prefer Tielemans. It makes sense cause he will be in his final year of contract, PL proven, good passer of the ball, scores and creates, sound defensively and offensively, suits our age profile also good at set pieces.

  11. Suffice to say that I could not DISAGREE MORE with this writers opinion.

    I think he would be a completE waste of money and content myself that her dream is simply that; a dream, and dreams are fine for dreamers, while realists choose reality every time.

    Entirely acedemic anyway, as surely not a single other Gooner believes it can or will happen. Not a cat in hells chance,mercifully!

    1. I think it would be a great option.. For those who are looking for a xhaka clone that also has injuries, complete package. If we were to sign him, it would alleviate a lot of stress from other players, as we would have another mindless cone to complain about. Sounds about right, especially if xhaka is leaving (maybe they can meet at the airport and go somewhere else together).

  12. With all due respect to the writer and her opinion, I disagree. Albeit a pretty decent player Emre Can couldn’t be relied upon long term at Liverpool, Juventus and Dortmund. Still in his prime at 28 though, I believe he has some good years, just not at the level or ambition of player we should be aiming for right now, if we are looking for a DM/CM type look no further than Matheus Nunes from sporting…strong, tall enough, carries the ball well from midfield, gets stuck in and a pretty decent passer too. At just 23 years definitely fits our current recruiting process and has his best years ahead of him, missed out on Bruno Guimareas, shouldn’t miss out on this guy too.

  13. I never found Emre Can at the level that Liverpool are at now. Like you say we all have our opinions. I saw too many serous mistakes in Can and although he is more trustworthy, than Xhaka (who costs us points every year) I prefer my steel with creativity, and like the 27 year old EX PSG Adrien Rabiot.

  14. Can no way, he is too prone to mistakes, just take a look at his stats at Dortmund the last two years. I would personally go all in and sign Lisandro Martinez as an upgrade to Xhaka and use Elneny and Lokonga as Parteys subs.

  15. Ruben Neves.

    That was talked about loudly early on, it’s gone very quiet now for some reason.

    It would be good to see a DM arrive as well, but I wonder if Martinez is meant to cover that role.

  16. The DM headache would be solved if lisandro Martinez be signed… A player that can cover left back, DM and CB all together..
    Just get in Martinez and another CF then that’s that

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